13
C
YCLAMENREVIEW
•
THECOMMERCIALGREENHOUSEGROWER • JANUARY 2017
varieties, British grown, in
13.0cm pots at a branch of a
major supermarket chain. At
the other end of the price
spectrumwas £12.50 each
at Marks &Spencer for extra
large flowered plants in a
ceramic container.
At independent High Street
retailers therewere excellent
midi-flowered plants in
12.0cm pots at £2.99 each.
The same basic item but in
an added-value presentation
was priced at £7.70 at a
nearby florist’s shop. A
recent sighting in aWaitrose
store in a nearby townwas a
small ornamental trough in
which four mini-cyclamen
were the highlight. The plants
were of premium quality, but
at £18.99 there should have
been aworthwhilemargin for
everyone in that particular
supply chain, the grower
included!
TheChristmas trading
period brings its own special
possibilities for added value
presentation. Poinsettias are
theChristmas pot plant par
excellence, but if snowy
white is required – and of
course it is – cyclamen are
nothingwanting. There is
excellence in red, too, and
glittering helps create
seasonal appeal. Schoneveld
Breeding looked forward to
the festive season earlier this
year, with a striking
Christmas-themed exhibit in
the Flower Trials in June. And
Christmaswith cyclamen
was a theme also found at
the Royal FloraHolland Trade
Fair inNovember.
FarPlants has not been slow
to take advantage here. For
Christmas 2016 sales
manager Nick Richards told
me that about 30,000
cyclamen plants had been
sold inmixed containers.
Garden centres are the
biggest destination for
FarPlants, but among other
customers isWaitrose.
u
Promoting cyclamen forChristmas at theFlowerTrials last
June.
This article concentrates
on new varieties for the
house plantmarket. In the
February issue of CGG
JohnSuttonwill turn to
cyclamen for consumer
use outdoors from late
summer onwards. New
varieties seen at breeders’
trials in autumn 2016will
feature, together withmar-
ketingdevelopments.
